Dear friends and supporters,
I come to you today with a heavy heart, asking for your help in a time of crisis. My husband, a decorated war hero, medically disabled veteran, and former Marine, is currently incarcerated after suffering a severe mental health breakdown. I am asking for your support to raise the necessary funds for his bail so we can bring him home and provide him with the care he desperately needs.
My husband served with distinction in the military, earning the Silver Star and Purple Heart for his bravery. During his service, his Humvee was struck by an IED, flipping over and leaving him with a gunshot wound to the abdomen. The injuries were devastating, requiring extensive rehabilitation just for him to learn how to walk again. But the physical injuries were only part of the toll he paid. The emotional and mental scars have been far more enduring. He now lives with severe PTSD, Major Depressive Disorder, anxiety, and multiple traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), which cause daily seizures, headaches, and chronic pain.
On March 24, 2025, my husband experienced a mental health crisis. He locked himself in a room, taking all the phones with him, leaving me unable to get help immediately. Once I could reach him, I called 911, hoping the paramedics could get him the care he so urgently needed. When they arrived, he was having a seizure, caused by the immense stress he was under. But instead of being treated with care and dignity, the EMTs roughly carried him to the gurney. One held his shoulders, the other his knees—ignoring his vulnerable state. Watching this was heart-wrenching.
While on the gurney, my husband had another seizure. I calmly explained to the EMTs that he often grabs objects when regaining consciousness, a coping mechanism he uses to ground himself. But instead of listening, I was handcuffed and detained for “interfering.” I was treated like a criminal for advocating for my husband’s well-being.
The EMTs also escalated the situation when my husband, still disoriented, tried to remove a medical device placed on his chest that caused him to feel suffocated. In panic, he tossed it away, landing it harmlessly in the street. But the EMTs accused him of assault. Despite his clear desire to avoid hospital care and his request for his vitals to be checked, he was ignored. Instead, he was handcuffed, placed in the back of a squad car, and taken to jail.
The hardest part of all this was seeing our two young children, ages 3 and 5, watching through the window as their father was taken away in handcuffs. They saw me being restrained and humiliated. The trauma they witnessed is something no child should ever experience. One officer even criticized me, questioning my parenting and my relationship with my husband in the middle of this heartbreaking situation.
Now, my husband has been charged with public intoxication, assault on an EMS officer, and disorderly conduct—charges that completely fail to acknowledge his mental health crisis. Instead of receiving the care he needs, he has been treated as a criminal. His bail is set at $7,000, and we need to come up with $700 to secure his release.
What makes this situation even more painful is that my husband was never taken to a hospital for medical care. Instead, I was told that he was cleared by a jail nurse and placed in segregation under suicide watch. He has no access to make phone calls, and I have no way of contacting him.
To add to the financial strain, my husband’s case has been stuck in a bureaucratic error for years. After being medically discharged from the military, he was mistakenly placed in the LDES program instead of the IDES program. This mistake has left him without the benefits and back pay he is owed for over five years.
We are also still working to find the right treatment for his seizures and TBI. His physical health remains a concern, which is one of the reasons I couldn’t return to work. I’ve also been struggling with my own recovery after a motorcycle accident last year that left me unable to work for an extended period. Our financial situation has been difficult, and we simply cannot do this alone.
It’s painful to know that my husband, who sacrificed so much for his country, is being treated this way in his time of need. He is not a criminal. He is a man with complex, life-altering injuries that require compassionate care, not punishment. I fear that keeping him incarcerated will only make his physical and mental health worse.
We want to bring him home where he can heal. Mental health crises should be met with compassion and proper care, not criminal charges. With your help, we can secure his release and fight for the care and justice he deserves.
Every donation, no matter how small, will go directly toward securing his bail and legal representation. If you can’t donate, sharing our story will help more than you know.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your kindness and support. Our family is forever grateful.
With heartfelt gratitude,
Emily Lemus
[Email: Nitramje17@gmail.com]
